Dental bridge anchor



w. L. BUMGARDNER ET AL DENTAL BRIDGE ANCHOR flied Dec. 6, 1923 INVENTORS BUM GAR DN ER,

H HALL BY g 5 ATTORNEYS Patented Nov. 11, 1924.

STATES 1,514,891 PATENT oFFIcs.

WARD L. BUMGARDNER AND EUGENE H. HALL,v 0F COLUMBUS, 0HIO.-

DENTAL BRIDGE ANCHOR.

Application filed December 6, 1923. Serial No. 679,003.

Tlo all whom it may camera.

Be it known that we, WARD L. BUMGARD- NER and EUGENE HALL, citizens of the United States of America, residing at Columbus, in the county of Franklin and State of Ohio, havejointly invented certain new and useful Improvements in Dental Bridge Anchors, of which the following is a specification.

Our present invention relates generally to artificial dentures and more particularly to bridge anchors, our object being the provision of a construction which will yieldingly hold a bridge in proper position, which is capable of ready quick formation and which will be effective and eflicient from an operators standpoint as well as that of a patient.

Bridge anchors for yieldingly holding bridges in place and including a tooth supported anchor plate slotted or otherwise apertured for the reception of the tongue of a bridge-carried connecting plate, have been before proposed, for instance in the patent to Dresch Number 1,339,812, but this patent is inefiective to properly serve the intended functions as it requires too much space between the supporting or abutment tooth and the adjacent end of the bridge and the anchor plate and connecting plate fail to provide any means whereby these small parts may be held during their connection with adjacent parts.

Our invention proposes a construction which eliminates these disadvantages and is both practical and useful, and to this end our invention resides in the features to be now described with respect to the accompanying drawing which forms a part of this specification and in which,

Figure 1 is an elevation showing the practical application of our invention,

Figure 2 is an enlarged view thereof,

Figure 3 is a front view of the anchor and connecting plates in properly engaged relation,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the an chor plate,

Figure 5 is a similar view of the connecting plate,

Figure 6 is an enlarged Vertical section through the two plates in connected relation, and,

Figure 7 is an enlarged front view of the two plates showing a key between the jaws to form a holder.

Referring now: to these figures we" have shown in Figures 1 and 2 portions of any artificial denture in the nature" of a bridge of which the teeth are indicated at 10 and the; vulcanized rubber at 11, the denture being, at one or both ends, provided with a bridge connecting plate 12 which'is, in the finished bridge, embedded in the vulcanized rubber. This connecting plate outstands endwise' of the bridge and has an upstanding tongue '13 whose upper outer surface is beveled as at 14 and whose upper end carri'esan' inner'cross bar 15 having a lower beveled edge 16 and forming one jaw of the holding device.

The natural or abutment tooth indicated at 17 is in the finished denture surrounded by an anchor band or clasp 18 and formed in connection with this band or clasp is an anchor plate 19 provided with a vertical slot 20 at whose upper end the material is preferably beveled as at 21 to accord with the upper beveled portion 14; of the tongue 13.

The slot 20 constitutes a guideway for the tongue 13 whereby the latter when in the proper position is thus freely movable vertically to a limited extent in the plane of the anchor plate 19 as particularly shown in Figure 6, said anchor plate having across the lower end of its outer surface a cross bar 22 whose upper edge 23 is beveled oppositely with respect to the beveled edge 16 of the cross bar 15 of the tongue 13. The cross bar 22 forms the other jaw of the holding device and plainly opposes the jaw 15 so as to form between these jaws a dovetail space for the reception of the wedge portion 24-. of a handle 25 shown in Figure 7.

By virtue of the fact that the tongue 13 works in the anchor plate slot 20 in the same plane as this anchor plate it is obvious that but a very slight space need be left between i the abutment tooth 17 and the adjacent end of the bridge and by providing the tongue and anchor plate with wedge receiving jaws 15 and 22 to'receive one wedge shaped end of the handle 25 as in Figure 7 it is obvious the small parts may be conveniently and effectively held while the anchor plate is, for instance, connected to the band or clasp 18 and embedded or set into the same by soldering, brazing or molding and also while the connecting plate is embedded in the vulcanized rubber or other material of which the bridge is formed. 7

Our invention provides an effective solution of a problem in artificial dentures whereby a bridge may yieldvertically in the mouth upon a cushion formed by the natural gums beneath the bridges, and one WhiCh will be practical and useful alike to operators and patients, and in addition to vertical movement permits such slight lateral or pivotal motion as is desirable.

'member having opposing cross bars for the purpose described.

2. A bridge connection for artificial dentures including a slotted anchor member,

,and a bridge connecting plate having a tongue Working in the slot of said member,

said anchor member and said tongue having iti nssi opposing portions for the reception of a Wedge therebetween.

8. A bridge connection for artificial dentures including a slotted anchor member, and a bridge connecting plate having a tongue working in the slot of said member, said anchor member and said tongue having opposing j awe, and a handle having a Wedge shiftable between and into engagement With said jaws.

.l. A bridge connection for artificial dentures including a slotted anchor member,

and a bridge connecting plate having it tongue Working in the slot of said member, said anchor member and said tongue having means to receive and engage a handle as and "for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof We have affixed our slgnatures.

WARD L. BUMGARDNER. EUGENE H. HALL. 

